April Program

MAY SHOW PREP AND PEP TALK

Oh my goodness. It is less than two weeks till the May Show and Sale! Now is the time to start your preparations if you haven’t already. In this month’s program, Marilynn Vilas will take us through the Show Schedule, dates and times of the show weekend, how to fill out your registration form, and how to prep your plants with a short critique from a judge’s eye. The Show Chairs will be there with their sign-up sheets. Available will be Publicity Fliers, Show Schedules, and Registration Slips. Have questions? Audience participation is encouraged! Marilynn has been a member of the Club since 1978. Over the years, she has been President of the Club, Show Chair, and Chair of numerous committees. She has participated in every show except one since 1978, going from Novice to Advanced, and has judged both ours and other clubs’ shows. If you have questions, Marilynn should have the answers! Now for the pep talk: All of the members have wonderful plants. I know because I have seen them entered in the Mini-Show, brought in for Show and Tell, and in pictures on your smart-phones, etc. There is no reason not to bring your plant(s) in for the show. It is a learning experience and I am still learning at each show. Don’t say to yourself, “My plants aren’t good enough;” all plants are good enough. Let’s see a surge of novice plants and a whole tsunami of advanced plants entered this year. Speaking of surges, there is a new ribbon: Best Bulb! See you at the meeting! —Marilynn Vilas

2016 SCSS Show| Photo by Gerhard Bock

Sacramento Cactus & Succulent Society April 2017 Volume 58, IV

Meeting Details

The Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society meets the 4th Monday of each month at 7 PM. Next meeting: April 24

Shepard Garden & Arts Center | 3330 McKinley Blvd | Sacramento, CA 95816

center phone: (916) 808-8800 | www.sacramentocss.org

DO read the show schedule and familiarize yourself with dates and times.

DO bring your plants in on Friday, May 5 as early as possible after 11 AM. All plants must be in place by 7 PM.

DO sign up for at least one committee at the April meeting. Areas that always need help: Plant Sales, Plant Hotel, Hospitality, Security, Membership, and Refreshments. Chairs will be at the April meeting with their sign-up sheets. The club feeds all volunteers!

DO collect and save boxes/flats for the Plant Sales. Costco, Sam’s Club, grocery stores, etc., are good places to collect. Give the boxes/flats to Steve.

DO wear your name badge. Not all of us know who everyone is, and this helps break the ice. No name badge? There will be stick-on ones available.

DO bring a dish to share for the Sunday potluck lunch.

DO help with kitchen clean up all three days.

DO use white registration slips for Division III (planters, dish gardens, etc.) regardless of whether you are a novice, junior, open or advanced.

DON’T DON’T DON’T water or apply pesticides to your plants the week before the show.

DON’T remove any of your show plants before the Sunday 4 PM closing time.

DON’T take home that beautiful rosette ribbon you win for Best in Show. The Club reuses them each year.

DO take home the smaller ribbons you win.

DON’T leave your purse or valuables in plain sight in the Center. Ask the Center Monitor to put them behind the desk in the Center office.

DO vote for your favorite shadowbox.

DO come to work, have fun, get to know your fellow Club members, and buy plants for next year’s show. It’s lots about camaraderie (and just a little about competition).

-–Show Committee

May Show DOs and DON’Ts

Sunshine Corner

We send our best wishes for a speedy recovery to Trish Bruga, half of our propagation team. She and her husband, Dick, have been the main suppliers of the ‘freebie’ and Club table sale plants for many years. A card has been sent from the Club. —Marilynn Vilas, Sunshine Chair

Shadowbox Competition

This year's theme is “Sensational Succulents.”

Entrants are to feature one or more

outstanding/unusual succulent in a decorative

setting. The winner will be determined by a

people's choice vote from the public attending

the show. There will be a $25.00 award for 1st

place. For entry information and rules, please

call Michelle Egan at (916) 424-5233.

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Show Notes

From Our Show Chair The May sale is the biggest funds generator for the club. It allows us to do special things for our members. Volunteers for the sales area are needed. Need a badge? There’s still time to order a badge and get it for the May show. Only $10. Please see Michelle Egan at the April meeting or call her at (916) 424-5233. April Meeting Publicity fliers, show schedules and plant registration tags will be available at the April meeting. There will also be sign-up sheets for all volunteer areas.

The Annual Awards Potluck will be held May 22nd. Set-up starts at 6:30 PM, with dinner at 7 PM and festivities at 8 PM, including the presentation of the Punctured Thumb Award. Families & guests of members are welcome. Food Assignments (by first letter of last name):

A – G Main Dishes H – R Salads

S – Z Desserts Please bring a dish to serve 8–10 people. Beverages, paper plates, napkins and plastic silverware will be provided by the Club. Feel free to bring your own utensils if you prefer. —Steve Goodman, President

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Annual Awards Potluck Dinner — May 22

March Mini-Show Winners

SUCCULENT 1st: Gasteraloe “Green Ice,” Troy Fajerson 2nd (tie): Aeonium “Kiwi,” Gene Wiggins & Agave, Rudy Aguilar 3rd: Crassula perforata, Sam Fajardo Honorable Mention: Aloe variegate, Mariel Dennis & Gasteria, Linda Roye

CACTUS 1st: Linda Roye

April Mini-Show

SUCCULENT: DUDLEYA Dudleya is a large genus of about 40 species, many of which are native to California and northern Mexico. Despite the similar appearance of Dudleya and Echeveria and overlap in their geographical distribution, molecular analysis suggests that the genus Dudleya is closer to Sedum. Only a handful are common in cultivation, and many are on the endangered species list. A few can only be found on some of the islands off the California coast. In general, these are long-lived plants. With proper care they can survive up to 100 years (hence their common name: Live-Forever). Dudleya are wonderfully adapted to the southern California climate, which is wet in winter and dry in summer (generally the opposite of how Echeverias prefer things). In other words, Dudleyas are winter growers, often dormant in summers. In fact,

watering some Dudleyas in the summer can kill them, allowing them to rot from overgrowth of Alternaria (a fungus). Some species’ roots cannot absorb moisture well in the high heat, so water rots the roots. Additionally Dudleyas can rot from the crown, or rosette, on down, particularly if water is left sitting on the delicate leaves. (Some are more sensitive than others). The general recommendation when watering Dudleyas is to either avoid getting water on the leaves or to plant them at angles so the water runs off. In nature, many species grow naturally on cliff faces and steep slopes so water cannot sit on these plants. Dudleyas grow well in pots and make excellent outdoor specimens in Mediterranean climates. They can be tough to grow indoors, since low-light situations stress the plants and make them etiolate and prone to mealybug infestation and rot. Potting soil should be very well-draining; many growers amend available soils with sharp sand and pumice to insure good drainage. Primary health problems include mealybug infestations, particularly on shade-grown plants, fungal rot (especially on improperly watered plants in hot weather) and snail and slug predation (my personal garden nemeses). Weather extremes are also problems, particularly the farther one grows these from the coast. Blistering summer heat and freezing temperatures are very hard on most Dudleyas, though some species are native to more inland locales, and these are well adapted to these more extreme climates. But it is mostly summer heat that makes these plants look less than ornamental all year round. The good thing is that, for the most part, they seem to tolerate looking like they're going to die, and rebound as soon as the winter rains start.

CACTUS: THELOCACTUS Etymology – From the Greek thele, which means “nipple” (referencing the tubercules) Thelocactus is comprised of a dozen species that are found primarily in the Chihuahuan desert of Texas and Mexico. The species have feature small globose or short cylindrical stems that are solitary or form small clusters. The stems have ribs that are strongly or entirely tuberculate and are often topped with stout, needle-like spines, which are hooked in some species. Flowers are white, pink, or yellow and often are a combination of colors, either in concentric rings or strips. The flowers are usually large in proportion to the stems and come from the top of the plant. Flowers may also continue during the entire summer. The manageable size of the plants and the readiness to flower in conjunction with the ease of care make many species in this genus very popular in cultivation.

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Dudleya brittonii

Thelocactus hexaedrophorus

Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society presents the 57th Annual

CACTUS & SUCCULENT SHOW

MAY 6, SATURDAY

9 AM – 5 PM (PLANT SALE)

10 AM – 5 PM (EXHIBITION)

MAY 7, SUNDAY

9 AM – 4 PM (PLANT SALE & EXHIBITION)

FREE ADMISSION • FREE PARKING • PLANT SEMINARS

FREE PLANT EACH DAY TO THE FIRST 50 GUESTS!

Job Opening at The Ruth Bancroft Garden

The Ruth Bancroft Garden has an immediate opening for a membership coordinator and office manager. They are looking for a candidate with a love for the Ruth Bancroft Garden with skills in office management, human resources, general retail and finances, and someone who likes to wear many hats to get the job done! The position is full time, Tuesday through Saturday, and is open NOW, so if you would like to apply, please send your resume to Gretchen Bartzen at gretchen@ruthbancroftgarden.org Full details are available online. The Ruth Bancroft Garden, 1552 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek, CA 94598 or call (925) 944-9352 (Office).

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Upcoming Member Open Garden Tours

Several members have offered to open their gardens to members and guests. You can obtain their addresses from our membership directory or contacting them directly. No personal information is posted online or in the newsletter, but an email will be sent closer to the date with contact details. Sunday, April 30 – T. Roberts, Fair Oaks, 12 PM—4 PM Saturday, June 3 – Mariel Dennis, Rancho Cordova, 9 AM-1 PM Saturday, June 17 – Linda Roye, 9 AM-1 PM If you’d like to show off your garden, please contact Mariel Dennis at marield@comcast.net.